Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, notSlytherin."Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could begreat, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help youon the way to greatness, no doubt about that -- no? Well, if you're sure-- better be GRYFFINDOR!"Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took offthe hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was sorelieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticedthat he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up andshook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We gotPotter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruffhe'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden,horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him satHagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinnedback. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair,sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'dgotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hairwas the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as theghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirtell, too, the nervous young manfrom the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purpleturban.